Power Outages
SFPUC Wants to Run the Grid—But Can’t Keep the Lights on for 0.1% of It
If SFPUC Can’t Power 125 Buildings
SFPUC Can’t Power a City
Why SFPUC’s Public Power Ambitions Collapse Under the Weight of Treasure Island’s Reality
For anyone watching the PublicPowerSF campaign with cautious optimism, I’d ask you to take a closer look at the only place in San Francisco where the City already has full control over the electrical grid: Treasure Island.
This isn't a theoretical argument or a philosophical debate about clean energy or local control. This is a case study with decades of real-world data, broken promises, and lived consequences. It’s a pilot program that should have been a proof of concept—and instead, it’s a glaring warning sign.
What’s Happening on Treasure Island?
Treasure Island's legacy housing community is small, tightly defined, and long-neglected. It consists of approximately 500 housing units, spread across about 125 buildings, home to around 2500 residents. These buildings, many of them relics from previous military use, house families who’ve weathered decades of environmental uncertainty, redevelopment displacement, and deteriorating infrastructure.
When it comes to electricity, there’s no ambiguity about who’s responsible: SFPUC (San Francisco Public Utilities Commission) has full control over the island’s electrical infrastructure. PG&E isn’t involved here. This is 100% the City’s domain.
And yet—power is unreliable. Outages are frequent. Voltage is unstable. Temporary fixes are more common than long-term upgrades. Residents routinely lose appliances to power surges. And after all this time, there’s still no sense of urgency or transparency from the agency tasked with keeping the lights on.
The failures aren’t hypothetical—they’re documented in internal reports and community complaints going back over 20 years. Despite knowing the problems, SFPUC continues to delay or sidestep meaningful investment in a place they’ve already claimed responsibility for.
Now Compare That to the Rest of San Francisco
San Francisco, as a whole, contains over 410,000 residential units, more than 120,000 buildings, and a population of roughly 875,000 people. And the electrical grid that supports all of that complexity? It’s currently run by PG&E—a utility with its own set of well-known issues, but one that still manages to deliver baseline power across a massive and dense urban environment.
The Treasure Island legacy grid, by contrast, supports less than 0.1% of San Francisco’s population, in a fraction of a percent of its buildings. It’s an island—geographically contained, with no industrial load, no large-scale commercial centers, no complex high-rise electrical requirements. And yet, SFPUC has never been able to consistently make it work.
So the question becomes inescapable: If an agency can’t manage electricity for 500 homes, how can they credibly ask to manage electricity for over 400,000?
The Numbers Tell a Story
Treasure Island isn’t some marginal case—it’s the only area where the City already exercises full authority over electrical service. That makes it the test case. The pilot program. The one real-world environment where we can see what “public power” looks like when SFPUC is in charge.
And that picture is not good.
It’s a place where families have learned not to trust the lights will stay on, where appliances are fried by faulty surges, and where repairs feel reactive rather than proactive. All while the agency sets its sights on citywide control—without ever fixing what’s right in front of them.
The Legal and Ethical Fault Line
SFPUC’s push for citywide control of the electrical grid isn’t just a bold policy initiative—it’s a massive infrastructure gamble. Under California Government Code §4217.12, any public utility looking to expand its reach must first demonstrate its technical and financial feasibility.
Treasure Island is the proof. And the proof is failing.
Moreover, California Public Utilities Code §451 states that all utility services must be “just and reasonable.” Can anyone look at the last 20+ years of Treasure Island’s electrical instability and say that standard is being met?
If this were a private utility, the complaints would be headline news. But because it’s public? The issues are easier to bury—unless we name them, document them, and confront them head-on.
Public Power Without Public Accountability Isn’t Progress
Let’s be clear: I support the principles behind public power. Local control. Climate action. Equitable service. But principles mean nothing if they’re not rooted in actual performance—and SFPUC has not earned the trust required for this scale of responsibility.
You don’t get to run the grid for a city of nearly a million people if you’ve spent decades failing to serve 500 families on an island you already control. That’s not caution—it’s common sense.
What Needs to Happen Before Any Expansion
Independent Audit: An objective, third-party review of SFPUC’s performance on Treasure Island must be conducted and made public.
Mandatory Infrastructure Upgrades: The legacy grid on Treasure Island must be modernized and stabilized before any expansion plan proceeds.
Transparent Public Disclosure: All PublicPowerSF https://www.publicpowersf.org/document-library campaign materials should acknowledge and address current service failures, not hide them.
Resident Oversight: Communities already affected by mismanagement must have a seat at the table—not just as data points, but as decision-makers.
Final Word: This Is the Sandbox, and It’s on Fire
Treasure Island was the sandbox. It was the small, controlled environment where SFPUC had every opportunity to prove they could manage a local grid. Instead, they’ve spilled the juice, scorched the sand, and left the kids in the dark.
That’s not a foundation for citywide leadership. That’s a red flag waving in broad daylight.
If public power is going to work in San Francisco, it has to start with real accountability—and that begins with confronting the truth about Treasure Island.
They Don't Like That I'm Bringing Light to Their Problems. But They're Still Not Bringing Light to Treasure Island.
They Say I'm Asking Too Many Questions. I Say They’ve Been Ignoring Too Many Outages. A “General Rule of Reason,” They Call It.
You’ve got to admire the language, if not the logic.
That’s the phrase SFPUC used to justify throttling my access to public records:
“We are invoking a general rule of reason…”
Sounds noble, doesn’t it?
Almost philosophical.
A little Roman, even—like they’re laying down some timeless code of civic balance.
But let’s decode it.
What they’re actually saying is:
We’ve decided your need for answers is no longer reasonable.
We’ve decided our discomfort with your questions outweighs your right to ask them.
We’ve decided to govern public transparency based on our patience—not your rights.
That’s not a rule of reason. That’s a rule of convenience.
And here’s the kicker—the irony so sharp it could cut the power.
**They invoke “reason” to justify blocking access to information about a power system that’s been failing—**unreasonably—for over 25 years.
Let me spell that out:
There have been over 290 documented power outages on Treasure Island since 2017.
Fifty-eight outages have happened just since I joined the SAP UC.
Some people have lost power a dozen times a year.
Seniors have been left without elevators.
Families have spent nights without heat, light, or refrigeration.
And for decades, city agencies—SFPUC included—have shrugged and said: “We’re working on it.”
So let me ask:
Was it reasonable to keep redeveloping Treasure Island while the grid collapsed underneath it?
Was it reasonable to leave families in public housing vulnerable to constant blackouts?
Was it reasonable to approve budgets, issue bonds, and launch projects, all while the basics—keeping the lights on—went unresolved?
But now that I’m requesting documentation? Now that I’m holding a flashlight to the file cabinet?
Now I’m the unreasonable one?
Let’s be clear:
What’s unreasonable is trying to spin transparency as a threat.
What’s unreasonable is weaponizing bureaucratic language to avoid accountability.
What’s unreasonable is pretending that searching emails is a heavier lift than surviving your twelfth blackout in a year.
So no—I’m not moved by the poetry of your “general rule of reason.”
Because nothing about this situation has been reasonable. Not for years.
If they really believed in reason, they’d be sitting in living rooms during outages.
They’d be reviewing emergency response failures, not redacting them.
They’d be standing on Treasure Island, not hiding behind desktop policies.
So yes, I’ll keep filing records requests.
Because “reason” should belong to the public, not to the institutions failing us.
And until SFPUC proves otherwise, I’ll keep shining the light.
Because Sunshine is coming.
Even if the electricity still isn’t.
Let me know if you want to break this part out into a stand-alone op-ed. It’s strong enough to live on its own in local media or on a campaign website. We can even format it as a spoken-word style piece or monologue for community meetings.
No More Excuses for 500+ Outages: Leveraging SB 332 to Demand Real Accountability from TIDA & SFPUC on Treasure Island
Lights Out on Treasure Island: Can Utility Accountability Ideas Finally Bring Solutions?
For residents of Treasure Island, the promise of a revitalized community is often overshadowed by persistent, frustrating problems. High among them are the recurring power outages, meticulously documented by residents on sites like treasureislandsfpoweroutages.com. This isn't just an inconvenience; it's a sign that the systems meant to support the community are falling short, leaving residents feeling failed by both the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA) and, seemingly, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) which manages grid operations.
The question is: How do we fix this accountability gap? While TIDA oversees development and SFPUC handles utility operations, the result for residents is unreliable power. Perhaps we can find inspiration for stronger oversight in SB 332, the Investor-Owned Utilities Accountability Act.
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB332
Let's be clear: SB 332 targets massive private utilities. TIDA is a public development agency, and SFPUC is a city department. You can't just copy the law. But the principles of accountability within SB 332 offer a powerful model we could adapt specifically for TIDA's oversight role on Treasure Island, forcing a resolution to issues like the power outages:
1. Mandated Independent Audits – Focusing on the Real Problems:
SB 332 Idea: Audits of utility equipment.
TIDA Application: Legislation could require TIDA to fund independent, third-party audits specifically targeting critical island infrastructure, especially the electrical distribution system. These audits wouldn't just look at new development but assess the reliability, maintenance, and resilience of the power grid serving residents right now. They could also cover other key areas like environmental remediation progress and development agreement compliance.
2. Performance Standards – Setting Clear Expectations for Power Reliability:
SB 332 Idea: Standards for utility safety and reliability.
TIDA Application: Legislation could establish binding, measurable performance standards for TIDA related to essential services. Crucially, this would include metrics for power grid uptime and outage restoration times. TIDA would be mandated to publicly report performance against these standards, making it clear whether the system (regardless of who operates the wires day-to-day, like SFPUC) is meeting basic needs. Reports would go to the Board of Supervisors and be easily accessible online, giving teeth to resident complaints documented on treasureislandsfpoweroutages.com.
3. Accountability for Fixing Deficiencies – No More Excuses:
SB 332 Idea: Addressing equipment past its "useful life."
TIDA Application: When independent audits identify deficiencies – like specific weaknesses in the power grid causing outages – legislation could require TIDA to develop, fund, and publicly report on corrective action plans with clear timelines. This ensures TIDA takes ownership of ensuring fixes happen, coordinating with entities like SFPUC as necessary, rather than problems lingering indefinitely. Enforcement mechanisms would be needed if TIDA fails to act.
4. Enhanced Transparency – Giving Residents Real Power:
SB 332 Idea: Curbing abuses partly through transparency.
TIDA Application: Legislation could mandate radical transparency from TIDA regarding infrastructure status, maintenance schedules (especially for the electrical grid), and audit results. This includes proactive communication before predictable issues arise and clear channels for residents to report problems and receive substantive responses – moving beyond the frustration that fuels sites like treasureislandsfpoweroutages.com. An independent resident advocate or ombudsman could also be established.
Solving the Problem:
Applying these adapted principles directly to TIDA creates a lever for change.
It forces an independent, objective look at the root causes of the power outages.
It sets non-negotiable standards for reliable electricity that TIDA must ensure are met.
It requires concrete plans and action to fix identified problems, holding TIDA responsible for coordinating solutions, even involving partners like SFPUC.
It empowers residents with information and clear pathways for recourse.
This isn't about blaming one entity. It's about recognizing a systemic failure where residents bear the brunt. By adapting the strong accountability mechanisms found in utility regulation and applying them to TIDA's unique oversight role, we can create a framework that demands results, ensuring that the lights – both literally and figuratively – stay on for the people of Treasure Island. Neither TIDA nor any other involved entity should be able to fail the citizens any longer.
Empty Desks, Dark Homes: SF's $200M HQ vs. Treasure Island's Failing Grid
Look, let’s be clear: A government's fundamental promise is to provide basic, essential services reliably to all its people. When that promise is broken, especially for the most vulnerable, while gleaming monuments to bureaucracy sit underutilized, it’s more than a failure of policy – it’s a profound failure of priorities.
Link To Record Request Data ——-> https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HoY4o7dWdmadVIz-A7Z6IbLGKJgwYG7q?usp=sharing
We see this starkly in San Francisco. On one hand, the SFPUC operates from its $200 million headquarters at 525 Golden Gate Avenue – a building designed for over 900 employees, showcasing sustainable ambitions. Yet, based on recent data and city-wide trends, this state-of-the-art facility often appears significantly underused, potentially seeing average daily occupancy rates hovering around a mere 40-45% of its capacity. This raises serious questions about the efficient use of such a massive public investment, particularly in an era where hybrid work is common.
On the other hand, turn your eyes to Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island. As the Citizens' Advisory Committee Resolution damningly outlines, residents there endure an average of 18 power outages per year, a rate four times higher than mainland San Francisco. These aren't fleeting flickers; they are disruptions averaging 4-5 hours each, accumulating to over 500 outages since 1997. This isn't just an inconvenience; it's a crisis disproportionately afflicting a community where 60% are low-income households, already designated as a Disadvantaged Community bearing undue environmental burdens.
The provided Resolution lays bare the appalling reality:
Chronic Failure: Decades of unreliable power delivery, far exceeding acceptable levels.
Disparate Treatment: While new developments on the island receive infrastructure upgrades, existing residents, many low-income, are told their dangerously unreliable, aging system will remain for potentially another 10 to 15 years.
Alleged Inaction and Lack of Oversight: The resolution explicitly calls out the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA) for failing to take sufficient action and demands accountability for the $15 million previously allocated for ensuring reliable power. It points to a lack of clear oversight for TIDA's performance regarding this essential service.
Ignoring Emergency Powers: The City possesses the authority to declare emergencies and take immediate action, as Mayor Breed herself stated was a priority during mainland outages, yet this same urgency seems absent for Treasure Island residents.
This is where the critique becomes harsh, and necessarily so. How can the City justify the operational costs and resource allocation supporting a significantly underoccupied, multi-million dollar headquarters downtown while simultaneously overseeing (or failing to oversee) an agency that allows a critical lifeline like electricity to repeatedly fail for a vulnerable island community? Where is the alignment with the stated duty to deliver "clean, reliable, and safe electric service" and the Mayor’s proclamation that residents' "safety and well-being is our first priority"?
The glaring contrast between the half-empty glass tower on Golden Gate Avenue and the persistent darkness endured by families on Treasure Island speaks volumes about misplaced priorities. It suggests a system where the symbols of governance are maintained, perhaps inefficiently, while the fundamental needs of marginalized residents are neglected. The investment isn't just the $200 million sunk into the building; it's the ongoing operational focus and resources that appear misaligned when compared to the life-altering infrastructure failures allowed to fester just across the bay. The Resolution's demands for immediate inspections, accountability for funds, failure analysis, and corrective action plans underscore the depth of the neglect. It's time resources and urgent attention were redirected from maintaining appearances to fixing fundamental, critical failures impacting people's daily lives and safety.
Why Treasure Island Residents Deserve a Grid Upgrade NOW—We’ve Already Shown We Can Rally
Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island are special spots—small communities with big views and even bigger potential. But the utility systems keeping our lights on and water running are old, and fixing them isn’t cheap. A 2004 report pegged repairs at $11.5 million and yearly maintenance at $720,000. Adjusted for inflation to 2025, that’s $19.3 million upfront and $1.2 million a year. For our roughly 2,000 residents, that’s $9,650 per person for repairs and $600 annually. Here’s why we need this upgrade—and why we deserve it after pitching in $11 million as a community to relight the Bay Bridge.
#### The Costs Hit Home
That 2004 "Utility Vulnerability and Risk Assessment" laid out what it’d take to keep our grid—water, sewer, power—going during a 10-to-15-year transition. Today, $19.3 million for repairs and $1.2 million yearly is what it’d cost in 2025 dollars. For a family of four, that’s like a $38,600 one-time hit and $2,400 a year. It’s not pocket change, but it’s what keeps our islands livable while redevelopment plans for 8,000 new homes roll out.
We’ve Stepped Up Before
Here’s the kicker: we’ve already shown we can pull together for something big. As a Bay Area community, we raised $11 million to turn the Bay Bridge lights back on—a dazzling win that proves we care about our home. If we can drop $11 million to light up a bridge, shouldn’t the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) match that grit to fix our grid? We’ve done our part; now it’s their turn to keep our essentials running.
Why It’s Urgent
Those 2004 fixes were for a transition that’s mostly over (2004-2019), but our systems are still aging. Power outages, water issues—they’re not just annoyances; they’re risks. With redevelopment in full swing, the current 2,000 of us shouldn’t be stuck with a crumbling grid while new folks move in. That $19.3 million upgrade isn’t a luxury—it’s a must to keep island life solid.
Time to Act
We rallied $11 million for the Bay Bridge lights because it mattered. Now, the SFPUC needs to step up with $19.3 million for our grid because *we* matter. Residents deserve reliable power and water—it’s that simple.
*Sources: 2004 Utility Vulnerability and Risk Assessment, SFPUC, CPI data adjusted to 2025, Bay Bridge lights fundraising
Redlining 2.0: Robert Beck, TIDA, SFPUC , Mayor, and Board of Supervisors Target Treasure Island
Alright, let’s cut through the noise and get blunt about how the Treasure Island redevelopment, including the 2024 land transfer shenanigans tied to Ordinance 231269 (passed February 16, 2024), stacks up against historical redlining and screws over long-term residents, especially those at Site 12. Right off the bat, the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA) is set up—by design—to dodge real grid upgrades, hoarding city funds for its own shiny projects while stiffing the island’s aging infrastructure. Unlike the rest of San Francisco, where the SFPUC taps into serious cash for fixes—like the $20 million Stern Grove repair after a 2021 flood trashed the place ([SF Chronicle, May 2, 2022](https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/Repair-costs-for-San-Francisco-s-Stern-Grove-17142845.php); [SFPUC confirmation](https://www.sfpuc.gov))—TIDA’s left to nickel-and-dime its 40-to-50-year-old grid with band-aids like reclosers and fault indicators ([SFPUC, July 7, 2020](https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/news-and-media/news-releases/sfpuc-and-treasure-island-development-authority-install-near-term-measures-improve-power)).
That Stern Grove fix ballooned from $4 million to $20 million to replace sewers and stabilize the site—city funds well spent elsewhere, but Treasure Island’s 500+ outages in 25 years get shrugs and promises of “later” when the rich move in. This isn’t some academic fluff—it’s a raw look at how history rhymes and how the system keeps kicking certain people to the curb.
Redlining 2.0: Same Game, New Paint
Historical redlining was straight-up racial and economic segregation, with banks and the feds drawing literal red lines on maps in the 1930s and beyond to deny loans and investment to "risky" (read: Black, poor, immigrant) neighborhoods—check the digitized HOLC maps at [Mapping Inequality](https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/map#loc=13/37.7676/-122.382) or the California-specific archive at [T-RACES](http://salt.umd.edu/T-RACES/). It locked communities out of wealth-building, trapped them in crumbling housing, and left them vulnerable to displacement when the "redevelopment" vultures swooped in later, as the [NCRC’s redlining history](https://ncrc.org/holc/) lays bare.
Fast-forward to Treasure Island 2024: the tools have evolved, but the playbook’s eerily similar. The redevelopment of this former Navy base, now a shiny prize for San Francisco’s elite, isn’t about uplifting the people who’ve been there—it’s about profit, gentrification, and pushing out those who don’t fit the new glossy vision.
Ordinance 231269, which greenlights TIDA’s takeover of ferry terminals and other fancy improvements ([full text here](https://sfgov.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6452942&GUID=9E74478E-012E-49AC-9671-C28039A0424C&Options=&Search=)), is a brick in the wall of this modern exclusion. It’s not red ink on a map anymore—it’s zoning laws, development agreements, and public works orders dressed up as progress.
Page 6 of the Public Works & TIDA presentation ([PDF here](https://sfgov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12625983&GUID=1DEA861C-7A7C-4CD4-9343-71E0D0EDE68B)) even nods to this history with a map tying redlining’s legacy to current inequities, yet the ordinance itself ignores that lesson. The Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Island Development Project, with its 8,000 new housing units and parks, sounds great until you see who it’s for: wealthy newcomers, soccer teams like Bay FC, who snagged a sweet land deal in September 2024. Meanwhile, the long-term residents—especially the roughly 2,000 folks, many low-income and minority, who’ve called Treasure Island home for decades—are getting sidelined.
The process prioritizes market-rate housing and infrastructure for outsiders over preserving affordable homes for those who’ve stuck it out. That’s redlining’s legacy in a nutshell: starve a community of resources, then "rescue" the land for someone else when the time’s right.
Site 12 Housing : The Long-Term Residents Left in the Dust
Now, let’s zero in on Site 12—housing for Treasure Island’s long-term residents, some of whom have been there 25 years or more since the Navy days. These aren’t transient renters; they’re people who’ve built lives on this weird, toxic chunk of reclaimed land, dealing with its isolation and quirks. But when you dig into Ordinance 231269 and the broader redevelopment docs—like the First Amendment to the Development Agreement (August 1, 2024) or the Design for Development (April 4, 2024)—Site 12 barely gets a whisper. The focus is on ferry terminals, open spaces, and shiny new buildings, not on locking in housing for these folks.
The ordinance itself ([Legistar link](https://sfgov.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6452942&GUID=9E74478E-012E-49AC-9671-C28039A0424C&Options=&Search=)) is a rubber stamp for TIDA to accept improvements and liability for stuff like the ferry terminal, with zero mention of protecting Site 12’s residents from displacement. The TIDA resolutions (e.g., No. 23-29-1011, No. 23-31-1108) and Public Works Order No. 208838 are all about infrastructure handoffs and public use dedications—great for commuters and developers, irrelevant for the grandma who’s been in her unit since 1997.
The 2024 Equity Program update from the Planning Department nods at affordability, but it’s vague and doesn’t guarantee Site 12 stays intact. Meanwhile, the development’s phasing maps (check the D4D) show Site 12’s area as a low-priority afterthought, dwarfed by plans for market-rate towers and commercial zones—page 6 of the presentation ([PDF link](https://sfgov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12625983&GUID=1DEA861C-7A7C-4CD4-9343-71E0D0EDE68B)) underscores this by mapping out inequities without offering Site 12 a lifeline.
Bluntly put: these long-term residents are being erased from the narrative. The city’s dumping millions into ferries and parks while leaving Site 12’s fate dangling—likely to be demolished or "redeveloped" out of existence once the big money rolls in. Historical redlining starved neighborhoods then displaced them for "urban renewal"; here, it’s neglecting existing housing stock, letting it rot, then handing the land to private developers under the guise of "public benefit." Same damn outcome: the poor and marginalized get shafted.
The Bottom Line
Treasure Island’s 2024 land transfer, as crystallized in Ordinance 231269 ([Legistar link](https://sfgov.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6452942&GUID=9E74478E-012E-49AC-9671-C28039A0424C&Options=&Search=)), mirrors redlining by prioritizing profit-driven development over the people who’ve held the community together. Site 12’s long-term residents—25 years of roots—aren’t just overlooked; they’re actively excluded from the future being built around them. No binding commitments to upgrade the grid in 2025, just ferry terminals and soccer fields. It’s not a red line on a map—it’s a bulldozer with a city seal, and it’s coming for the same folks history always leaves behind, as the redlining maps ([Mapping Inequality](https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/map#loc=13/37.7676/-122.382/)) and page 6 of the TIDA presentation ([PDF link](https://sfgov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12625983&GUID=1DEA861C-7A7C-4CD4-9343-71E0D0EDE68B)) grimly remind us. Check the TIDA docs (sf.gov) or the ordinance attachments if you want the dry proof; the story they tell is anything but equitable.
Joshua Arce Pushes Commissioners' Items on Treasure Island Outages
Click The Following Link To Watch Video Of Joshua Arce SFPUC CAC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SiFQ_4m0IE&t=3529s
Click The Following Link To Watch Video At SFPUC Board Commission Meeting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j09dFzWRQGc At
Joshua Arce brings attention to the critical issue of power outages on Treasure Island. While his tour covered essential infrastructure—including a detailed look inside a mountain tunnel and an overview of new valve installations—the central focus was on the challenges faced by Treasure Island residents. During his visit to the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Public Utilities Commission, Arce engaged in an in-depth conversation with local citizens, discussing the frequent power interruptions affecting the community. His remarks emphasized a strong commitment to resolving these outages, advocating for transparent dialogue and robust solutions to ensure a reliable power supply. Although he also touched on broader topics such as water policy, conservation efforts related to the Tuolumne River, and salmon habitat restoration, Arce made it clear that addressing the electrical issues on Treasure Island is his top priority. The update concluded with an invitation for public comment, reflecting his dedication to community engagement and support for the local residents.
Joshua Arce, Vice President of the SFPUC, Must Act Urgently to Address Treasure Island’s Power Outages
Joshua Arce, as Vice President of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and the holder of Seat 2 designated for ratepayer and consumer advocacy, you are in a critical position to tackle the escalating power grid crisis on Treasure Island. With over 500 power outages since 1997—averaging one every two to three weeks—you cannot ignore the severity of this issue. Your extensive experience in labor relations, workforce development, and community advocacy uniquely equips you to recognize the profound impact these disruptions have on the island’s residents, particularly its low-income and minority communities. The resolution titled "Resolution Regarding Emergency Authorizations and Power Outages on Treasure Island," sponsored by Barklee Sanders and Jodi Soboll, demands immediate action, and your leadership is essential to deliver the reliable services that residents deserve.
### **The Crisis at Hand**
Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island suffer from power outages at a rate four times higher than PG&E-provided power in San Francisco, with each incident averaging four to five hours. This translates to a staggering 500 outages over 25 years, disrupting the lives of 2,500 customers served by the SFPUC. Census data reveals that 60% of Treasure Island residents are low-income, with 50% living below the poverty line, ranking the area in the top 25% of California’s disadvantaged communities per CalEnviroScreen 4.0. These outages disproportionately harm vulnerable populations, causing health risks from inoperative medical devices, property damage from spoiled food, and sanitation issues from sewage backups. Your background in advocating for underserved communities should make this personal—this is a call to action you cannot sidestep.
### **Your Role and Responsibility**
As Vice President of the SFPUC, you have both the authority and the duty to act. Your Seat 2 role emphasizes protecting ratepayers and consumers, aligning perfectly with the resolution’s plea for equitable service. You vote on rates, contracts, and policies, and when the President is absent, you chair meetings, giving you a platform to prioritize this crisis. The SFPUC operates the power system for the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA), yet the existing grid—serving current residents—languishes while new infrastructure benefits luxury developments. This disparity is unacceptable, and your advocacy can bridge this gap.
### **Legal and Moral Imperatives**
The resolution cites clear legal grounds for urgent action:
- **City Charter and Administrative Code**: These empower the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, TIDA, and SFPUC to declare emergencies and protect public welfare (Article III, section 3.100(14); Chapter 7, section 7.1(b); Chapter 21, section 21.15; Chapter 6, section 6.60; Chapter 10, sections 10.03 and 10.62).
- **Chapter 99: Public Power**: SEC. 99.1 mandates clean, reliable, and safe electric service for all San Franciscans, a promise Treasure Island residents have been denied.
- **California Constitution and Fourteenth Amendment**: Equal protection demands that these residents receive the same service quality as others in the city.
- **Fiduciary Duty**: Under California Corporations Code § 5231, you are legally bound to act in the public’s best interest—inaction risks violating this duty.
Mayor London Breed’s 2023 statement, “it’s our duty to deliver services San Franciscans deserve,” and the 2017 emergency generator replacement (Resolution R0307-17) prove the city can mobilize when compelled. You must push for an emergency declaration now.
### **The Path Forward**
The resolution outlines actionable steps you can champion:
1. **Emergency Declaration**: Advocate for immediate inspections and grid deployment, as requested by the SFPUC Citizens’ Advisory Committee.
2. **Inspections by July 2024**: Ensure TIDA conducts a comprehensive review per California Public Utilities Commission General Orders 165, 128, and 95, addressing the grid’s deficiencies.
3. **Transparency**: Demand TIDA account for the $15 million allocated for grid improvements within two weeks, ensuring funds benefit existing residents.
4. **Reports and Plans**: Oversee the SFPUC’s “Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island Failure Mode Analysis Report” (due within 12 weeks) and the subsequent “Recommendations for Power Grid Conformance” (due 6 weeks later), pushing for swift implementation to match San Francisco’s service standards.
5. **Funding and Oversight**: Collaborate with the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, and TIDA to secure emergency funding and hold TIDA accountable.
### **Why You Must Act Now**
The human toll is undeniable—outages threaten lives and livelihoods. The resolution notes that while new infrastructure is built for future developments, the current system, expected to serve residents for another 10-15 years, remains neglected. This is not just a technical issue; it’s a moral failing. Your experience tells you that low-income communities bear the brunt of such disparities, and the data backs this up. The economic cost—lost work, damaged property, and health crises—compounds the urgency. Legally, regulatory action or liability looms if standards aren’t met. Politically, public outrage and the Mayor’s own words amplify the pressure. You have the tools, the platform, and the responsibility to act—delay is not an option.
### **Call to Leadership**
Joshua Arce, this is your moment. Use your vote, your voice, and your influence to rally the SFPUC, TIDA, and city leadership. Declare the emergency, fund the fixes, and restore equity to Treasure Island. Your legacy as a champion for ratepayers hinges on this—act with the urgency this crisis demands. The residents of Treasure Island have waited 25 years; they cannot wait another day.
Proposal: SFPUC Board Living and Operating on Treasure Island
SFPUC board should be required to live and operate from Treasure Island—potentially in Building One or another location—until outages fall below three per year is a bold call for accountability. The idea is that by experiencing the outages firsthand (e.g., disrupted utilities, health risks, and daily inconveniences), board members would be more motivated to prioritize and expedite solutions.
Pros:
Increased Awareness: Living on the island would give the board direct insight into residents’ struggles, fostering urgency.
Symbolic Commitment: It signals to the public that the SFPUC takes the issue seriously.
Clear Target: Limiting outages to fewer than three per year sets a measurable goal.
Cons:
Practicality: Requiring board members—appointed officials with defined roles—to relocate and work from the island may not be feasible. They have personal lives and existing offices at the headquarters.
Legal Constraints: Forcing such a move could violate employment terms or city regulations governing the board’s duties.
Effectiveness: Punitive measures might breed resentment rather than collaboration, and outages stem from complex infrastructure issues (e.g., aging systems, funding delays) that board residence alone won’t solve.
Our SFPUC could mandate regular board engagements on the island—holding meetings, establishing a temporary office, or conducting site visits. This would maintain accountability without logistical overreach.
Funding Until Outages Drop Below Three Per YeaT
Propose that the city or state cover costs until outages are reduced below three per year. However, the SFPUC operates on a self-sustaining budget funded by ratepayers (customers like those on Treasure Island), not general city or state tax revenue. Grid repair costs—estimated in the tens of millions for Treasure Island—would typically come from the SFPUC’s capital improvement budget, which is separate from operating funds or headquarters financing.
City Role: As the SFPUC is a city agency, San Francisco could theoretically allocate emergency funds or pressure the SFPUC to prioritize Treasure Island. However, this would likely still draw from ratepayer-derived resources.
State Role: The state has no direct authority over a municipal utility like the SFPUC unless it intervenes via regulatory bodies (e.g., California Public Utilities Commission) or emergency declarations, which is unlikely for a localized issue.
Thus, while the city could advocate for or expedite funding, the financial burden ultimately falls on the SFPUC’s budget. Requiring the board to live on the island wouldn’t inherently shift costs to the city or state unless explicitly legislated—an unlikely scenario given budgetary structures.
A Path Forward
Rather than mandating residence, a balanced solution could include:
Emergency Action: The SFPUC should declare an emergency, as allowed under city codes, to fast-track grid inspections and repairs.
Board Engagement: Hold regular meetings or establish a temporary office on Treasure Island to keep the board connected to the issue.
Funding Prioritization: Allocate a specific portion of the SFPUC’s multi-billion-dollar capital budget (e.g., from projects like the $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program) to Treasure Island’s grid.
Transparency: Report progress publicly, ensuring the $15 million already allocated for grid improvements is effectively used.
The $202 million headquarters, while a significant outlay, is a sunk cost from over a decade ago. The focus now must be on redirecting current and future resources to infrastructure, not reallocating past expenditures.
Conclusion
The SFPUC’s new headquarters cost approximately $202 million, a figure that highlights past priorities but doesn’t directly detract from today’s grid funding. Your proposal to have the board live and operate on Treasure Island until outages drop below three per year is a striking idea to enforce accountability, though it faces practical and legal hurdles. Instead, increasing the board’s presence on the island and leveraging the SFPUC’s ratepayer-funded budget to expedite repairs offers a viable path. While the city could push for action, the SFPUC must lead—ensuring Treasure Island’s residents finally receive the reliable power they deserve.
Hot Water, Cold Justice: Uncovering Treasure Island's Four-Day Gas Crisis
Below is a consolidated, anonymized timeline and analysis of the natural gas outage on Treasure Island, sorted from the earliest event to the latest, along with an explanation of its impacts and a discussion of possible legal shortcomings by the responsible agencies.
Timeline of Events
Feb 14, Early AM:
• A natural gas leak was detected (at a location on Keppler Ct, Unit C) affecting approximately 0–50 housing units. Crews were dispatched to investigate an equipment failure.Feb 14, 2:13 AM:
• Crews exited after isolating the leak and shutting off the gas line at several addresses (e.g., on Keppler Ct: 1109, 1111, 1113, 1115, and 1117). Restoration status remained uncertain.Feb 14, 2:21 PM:
• Repair work was reported complete at the initial site and gas service was restored at around 1:10 PM.Feb 16, 11:29 PM:
• A new outage began in the northwest part of Treasure Island (near the intersection of 13th Street and Ave. D), impacting 200+ housing units. The gas was shut off due to equipment failure, with additional work needed (including a required dig permit).Feb 17, 10:09 AM:
• Crews were en-route to the northwest area; excavation and traffic control efforts started at 13th Street and Ave. D.Feb 17, 12:46 PM:
• On-scene crews continued excavation work (expected to last until 5:30 PM, with possible follow-up the next morning) but no restoration was confirmed at that point.Feb 17, 5:49 PM:
• Crews exited after indicating that further repair work would resume once additional criteria were met.Feb 18, 11:14 AM:
• Gas service was restored in the northwest area—now affecting a total of about 400 units—with a note that a future planned outage (to complete final line repairs) would be announced by the local authority.
An additional update later that day summarized that, over the past four days, approximately 400 units had been affected—leaving about 80% of homes without gas for hot water—and noted that residents had already suffered multiple power outages in recent months.
Impact on Residents
Essential Services Disrupted:
Without natural gas, residents were unable to cook, heat their homes, or operate gas water heaters—critical functions for daily living, particularly during colder conditions.Extended Outage Duration:
With the outage lasting four days in some areas, many households were forced to endure extended periods without hot water, impacting hygiene and comfort.Compounding Hardships:
The outage, combined with recent repeated power interruptions, has significantly strained residents’ quality of life and may have increased health and safety risks.
Potential Legal and Regulatory Concerns
Under California law, utility providers have a statutory duty to offer safe, reliable, and continuous service. The prolonged disruption in natural gas service may raise concerns under several legal frameworks:
California Public Utilities Code:
Utilities are mandated to ensure reliable service. Prolonged outages that affect essential needs (cooking, heating, and hot water) may be viewed as a breach of these obligations.California Health and Safety Code & Implied Warranty of Habitability:
Residents—especially renters—are entitled to essential services for a safe and habitable living environment. Extended outages that compromise these conditions could be interpreted as a failure to meet these legal standards.Local Ordinances and Consumer Protection Laws:
Local agencies and regulatory bodies (such as TIDA, the local utility management, and related committees) are expected to act in the best interest of residents. Their inability to promptly restore service and communicate effectively may expose them to legal scrutiny for failing their duty of care.
(Note: Specific statutory citations are not provided here, but these issues are generally governed by the Public Utilities Code and local public health regulations.)
Conclusion
The sequence of events shows an initial gas leak on Feb 14, followed by partial restoration and then a major outage in the northwest area beginning on Feb 16. Despite eventual restoration on Feb 18, the prolonged disruption over four days left many residents without the ability to cook, heat their homes, or use hot water. This prolonged outage raises serious questions about whether local authorities—including TIDA, SFPUC, CAC, and other local agencies—fulfilled their legal and regulatory duties to provide essential services. Residents have suffered not only immediate discomfort and inconvenience but may also be entitled to seek redress under state and local laws aimed at protecting public health and ensuring utility reliability.
This report underscores the urgency of better communication and more robust maintenance protocols to prevent future failures, while also highlighting potential legal vulnerabilities for the responsible agencies.
Argument for Using $115 Million COPs to Fund Treasure Island Power Grid Upgrades
The argument advocates using the $115 million in General Fund Certificates of Participation (COPs) from Files 24-0198 and 24-0202 to fund Treasure Island power grid upgrades.
The proposed ordinance (File 24-0198) and resolution (File 24-0202) amend the Development Agreement and Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) between the City, Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA), and Treasure Island Community Development LLC (TICD) to secure $115 million in General Fund Certificates of Participation (COPs) for Stage 2 infrastructure. This funding, intended to advance the Treasure Island/Yerba Buena Development Project, must prioritize power grid upgrades to resolve the persistent outages—over 500 since 1997, averaging 18 annually—disproportionately burdening the 60% low-income residents of Census Tract 6075017902. Here’s why and how this can be achieved:
1. **Explicit Scope Includes Utilities**: The March 2024 TIDA staff memo confirms the $115 million COPs will fund "utility systems" alongside geotechnical work and streets for Stage 2 (Budget and Legislative Analyst Report, April 17, 2024, p. 38, [sfbos.org](https://sfbos.org/sites/default/files/BLA_Report_041724.pdf)). Chronic power outages, a documented health and safety crisis (e.g., sewage backups, medical device failures), make grid upgrades an urgent utility need ([treasureislandsfpoweroutages.com](https://www.treasureislandsfpoweroutages.com/)). The San Francisco Administrative Code § 99.1 mandates reliable electric service as a public benefit ([sfgov.org](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_admin/0-0-0-10586)), aligning with the DDA’s community obligations.
2. **Existing Residents’ Equity**: The Project’s 27.2% affordable housing commitment (2,173 of 8,000 units) and 300 acres of public space signal a public benefit focus (Budget and Legislative Analyst Report, p. 33), yet current residents face a grid unchanged since the Navy’s 1997 exit ([sfpuc.gov](https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/newsroom/sfpuc-and-treasure-island-development-authority-install-near-term-measures-improve-power)). The COPs’ purpose—to improve financial feasibility—extends beyond developers to residents enduring a fourfold outage rate compared to PG&E areas ([treasureislandsfpoweroutages.com](https://www.treasureislandsfpoweroutages.com/)). Redirecting a portion of the $115 million (e.g., $50–75 million, per urban retrofit benchmarks) to grid stabilization ensures equity, consistent with the Housing Element’s call for infrastructure investment in underserved areas (Program 8.7.1, [sfplanning.org](https://generalplan.sfplanning.org/Housing_Element_2022_adopted.pdf)).
3. **Legal and Fiscal Flexibility**: The Financing Plan’s “Alternate Financing” provision (Exhibit EE, Budget and Legislative Analyst Report, p. 35) commits the City to fund Stage 2 when CFD and IRFD capacities falter, as they have due to delayed tax revenues. COPs, issuable in three tranches subject to Board approval, offer flexibility to prioritize grid upgrades in the first $50 million tranche (FY 2024-25) (Budget and Legislative Analyst Report, p. 38). The $550,000 annual CFD/IRFD offset reduces General Fund strain (p. 35), and freed CFD capacity post-Stage 2 could later support other needs, making this a strategic pivot, not a fiscal overreach.
4. **Political Imperative**: Mayor Breed’s May 2023 pledge that “safety and well-being” are paramount ([sf.gov](https://www.sf.gov/news/city-leaders-call-pge-address-recent-power-outages-impacting-thousands-residents)), coupled with City Charter § 3.100(14) emergency powers ([sfgov.org](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_charter/0-0-0-154)), demands action on Treasure Island’s outages. The Board can condition COP approval on a grid-specific deliverable (e.g., new switchgear, per 2020 SFPUC plans, [sfpuc.gov](https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/newsroom/sfpuc-and-treasure-island-development-authority-install-near-term-measures-improve-power)), ensuring TIDA fulfills its 1997 Conversion Act duty (Health & Safety Code § 33492.5, [leginfo.legislature.ca.gov](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=HSC§ionNum=33492.5)) to all residents, not just future developers profiting from an 18–25% return (Budget and Legislative Analyst Report, p. 35).
5. **Mitigating Policy Concerns**: Critics warn the COPs exhaust City debt capacity through FY 2027-28 (Budget and Legislative Analyst Report, p. 40), but this $245.9 million debt service ($13.7M annually) is a fraction of the $1.6 billion unissued GO bond capacity (2024 Voter Guide, [sfcontroller.org](https://sfcontroller.org/sites/default/files/Documents/AOSD/2024%20Voter%20Information%20Pamphlet.pdf)). Front-loading grid upgrades in the first tranche minimizes long-term fiscal risk, aligns with the Spring 2025 capital plan, and preserves deferred maintenance options elsewhere—outweighing the cost of inaction on a known crisis.
**Conclusion**: The $115 million COPs are not just developer relief—they’re a lifeline for Treasure Island’s existing residents. The Board must approve Files 24-0198 and 24-0202 with a mandate to allocate funds for grid upgrades, leveraging TIDA’s public-benefit role and the City’s equity commitments. This solves a decades-long problem, proving San Francisco prioritizes its people over profits.
---
### Sources and Links
1. **Budget and Legislative Analyst Report, April 17, 2024**: Details the legislative objectives, COPs structure, and fiscal impact. [https://sfbos.org/sites/default/files/BLA_Report_041724.pdf](https://sfbos.org/sites/default/files/BLA_Report_041724.pdf)
2. **Treasure Island Power Outages Website**: Documents 500+ outages since 1997 and their impact. [https://www.treasureislandsfpoweroutages.com/](https://www.treasureislandsfpoweroutages.com/)
3. **San Francisco Administrative Code § 99.1**: Mandates reliable electric service. [https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_admin/0-0-0-10586](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_admin/0-0-0-10586)
4. **SFPUC News, 2020**: Notes prior grid upgrades (e.g., reclosers, switchgear plans). [https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/newsroom/sfpuc-and-treasure-island-development-authority-install-near-term-measures-improve-power](https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/newsroom/sfpuc-and-treasure-island-development-authority-install-near-term-measures-improve-power)
5. **2022 Housing Element**: Program 8.7.1 encourages infrastructure investment on Treasure Island. [https://generalplan.sfplanning.org/Housing_Element_2022_adopted.pdf](https://generalplan.sfplanning.org/Housing_Element_2022_adopted.pdf)
6. **Mayor Breed’s May 2023 Statement**: Prioritizes resident safety. [https://www.sf.gov/news/city-leaders-call-pge-address-recent-power-outages-impacting-thousands-residents](https://www.sf.gov/news/city-leaders-call-pge-address-recent-power-outages-impacting-thousands-residents)
7. **San Francisco City Charter § 3.100(14)**: Grants emergency powers. [https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_charter/0-0-0-154](https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_charter/0-0-0-154)
8. **California Health and Safety Code § 33492.5**: Defines TIDA’s public-benefit duties. [https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=HSC§ionNum=33492.5](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=HSC§ionNum=33492.5)
9. **2024 Voter Guide**: Confirms $1.6 billion unissued GO bond capacity. [https://sfcontroller.org/sites/default/files/Documents/AOSD/2024%20Voter%20Information%20Pamphlet.pdf](https://sfcontroller.org/sites/default/files/Documents/AOSD/2024%20Voter%20Information%20Pamphlet.pdf)
Left in the Dark: The Unforgivable Neglect of Treasure Island by SFPUC and TIDA Director Robert Beck
Ladies and Gentlemen of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the Treasure Island Development Authority,
https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/who-we-are/executive-management
https://www.sf.gov/information/treasure-island-development-authority-staff
Let’s not waste time with pleasantries. We are here because of failure—your failure. And it’s high time we call it exactly what it is. Treasure Island is drowning in darkness—figuratively and literally—and you are holding the matches.
Over 18 power outages a year on average . That’s the shameful average this community has endured for decades. Eighteen outages a year—a rate four times worse than the rest of San Francisco itself. Do you understand the weight of that statistic? That is not infrastructure; that is neglect. That is not oversight; that is abandonment. And abandonment is exactly what you’ve done to the people of Treasure Island.
Let me paint the picture for you—because clearly, you haven’t taken the time to see it yourself. A single mom sitting in a pitch-black apartment, praying her child’s insulin doesn’t spoil in the powerless fridge. A family scraping together every penny to survive, only to lose it all when they have to replace spoiled groceries. Elderly residents sitting in cold, dark rooms, their lifelines—medical devices—rendered useless. Children trying to learn in homes without light, without heat. Is that the San Francisco you’re proud of? Is that the progress you stand for?
You’ve promised. Oh, how you’ve promised. Back in 2019, TIDA said an upgrade was coming that would solve it all. “We’d be shocked,” you said, “if there were more than five outages the next year.” Since the upgrade in July 2021, there have been a staggering 63 outages as of 01-09—2025.
This repeated failure highlights the ongoing issues despite promises of improvement. The work, initially scheduled for completion in 2020, faced repeated delays before finally concluding in mid-2021, yet the problems persist:
2021: 20 outages
2023: 19 outages
2024: 23 outages
2025 (so far): 1 outage
The consistent pattern of outages demonstrates how little the upgrade has delivered on its promises.
Let me ask you this: do you ever lie awake at night thinking about the people you’ve failed? Because they lie awake at night—literally—when their homes are plunged into darkness. They can’t ignore it, so why should you? Every flicker, every blackout, every outage is a slap in the face to the residents who trusted you to care, trusted you to do better. You failed them.
You have hidden behind bureaucracy for too long. You’ve deflected, delayed, dodged responsibility. But let me remind you of something: your inaction is not neutral. It is active harm. Every time you failed to fix the grid, every time you delayed critical upgrades, you made a choice. A choice to let people suffer. A choice to let families shiver in the dark. A choice to uphold inequity. And every single one of those choices is on you.
You want the truth? What’s happening on Treasure Island isn’t just an infrastructure problem—it’s a moral failure. A community of 3,000 people has been treated like an afterthought, like collateral damage in your web of incompetence. And for what? Convenience? Complacency? Cost savings? How do you justify that? How do you live with yourselves?
You are the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. You are the Treasure Island Development Authority. Those names carry responsibility, accountability, and power. But what good is your power if it doesn’t keep the lights on? What good are your titles if you let an entire community rot under your watch?
I demand action, not excuses. Declare a state of emergency for Treasure Island. Bring in experts who will actually fix the system, and appoint people to your boards who will not rest until this community has the reliable power it has been denied for far too long. The time for apologies is over. The time for promises is over. This is your chance to prove you care about more than your titles and your budgets.
Treasure Island deserves better, and you know it. So, no more delays. No more negligence. Fix this, or step aside and let someone with the will and the conscience to do the job take over. Because right now, your legacy is darkness.
And that, my friends, is an unforgivable disgrace.
Bay Bridge Lights Up, Treasure Island Left in the Dark - What Gives, SF?
In the City by the Bay, the glaring contrast between aesthetic brilliance and basic utility couldn't be more stark. San Francisco, known for its innovative spirit, is gearing up to light the Bay Bridge with a mesmerizing $11 million display, showcasing 50,000 LEDs—a twinkling tribute to the city's love for high-tech spectacle. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/02/us/bay-bridge-lights.html
Meanwhile, just a stone's throw away, Treasure Island is mired in a less glamorous reality, grappling with its 500 power outage since 1997.
Yes, you heard right. While the city dazzles tourists and residents alike with its illuminated marvels, Treasure Island suffers blackout after blackout—an average of one every 2-3 weeks, making its residents experts in navigating their own homes by touch.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors seemed to take a step in the right direction back in 2017, approving a $1.66 million emergency replace two failing generators on Treasure Island, aimed at bolstering the beleaguered power grid. The resolution, promisingly named R0307-17, hinted at a brighter, more reliable future. But fast forward to the present day, and the island's reality remains dimly lit, both literally and metaphorically.
While $11 million pour into making the Bay Bridge a nighttime enchantment, Treasure Island residents are left wondering why their plight seems less worthy of investment. In a recent escalation, Mayor London N. Breed and other city officials have ramped up their rhetoric against Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) for their role in citywide outages, as highlighted in a stern letter available for perusal on the city's official website. Yet, it's ironic—or perhaps just plain negligent—that the city itself manages Treasure Island’s grid, which has been a notorious weak link for over a quarter of a century.
The city's sudden urgency addressing a single weekend of PG&E-caused disruptions starkly contrasts with the decades-long saga endured by Treasure Islanders. This selective attention is akin to furiously pointing out a neighbor’s slightly overgrown lawn while your own house is engulfed in flames.
This tale of two utilities lays bare a disheartening disparity. On one hand, PG&E is scrutinized and lambasted for fleeting failures; on the other, the city’s own mismanagement of Treasure Island’s grid—an enduring saga of neglect—is met with what can only be described as a shrug of municipal indifference.
What we witness here is a vivid display of priorities, where a bridge's aesthetic overhaul is deemed more crucial than the basic wellbeing of a community repeatedly left in the dark. It begs the question: What is the real standard of care and commitment by our city leaders? Why does the sparkle of LEDs on a bridge overshadow the necessity of keeping the lights on for its citizens?
In conclusion, while San Francisco’s Bay Bridge prepares to shimmer anew in a grand display of luminous excess, the residents of Treasure Island remain ensnared in a recurring nightmare of darkness. It's high time the city shifts some of its innovative zeal from aesthetic showcases to ensuring that all its communities can enjoy the basic, essential service of reliable power. San Francisco, let’s not just be a beacon of innovation in public spectacles; let’s illuminate our commitment to all residents by keeping their lights on.
ONGOING RESOLUTION REGARDING EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATIONS, POWER OUTAGES, AND THE CREATION OF AN ENHANCED INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING DISTRICT ON TREASURE ISLAND
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Emergency Declaration for California
RESOLUTION REGARDING EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATIONS AND POWER OUTAGES ON TREASURE ISLAND
Advancing Environmental Justice: Proposed Framework and General Plan Policies for a Sustainable Future
The seventh policy priority and strategy for achieving clean and healthy environments in San Francisco is to ensure reliable electricity for all residents. To achieve this, several actions must be taken.
First, there is a need to establish provisions for mandatory electric grid safety plans from TIDA (Treasure Island Development Authority) developers and contractors, with community oversight. This is critical to ensuring that any construction work does not compromise the safety of the electric grid.
Secondly, it is important to establish a website that publicly lists all unplanned and planned power outages by neighborhood in San Francisco, going back 25 years and continuing into the foreseeable future. This information can be used by residents and businesses to plan ahead and minimize the impact of power outages.
Thirdly, there is a need to establish a program to study the neighborhoods with the highest amount of outages and give them power and funding to direct all local agencies to upgrade the grid to mitigate outages based on current best practices. By providing power and funding to the affected neighborhoods, they can work collaboratively with local agencies to identify the best ways to upgrade the grid and minimize the number of outages.
By implementing these strategies, San Francisco can achieve reliable electricity for all residents, which is a critical component of a clean and healthy environment.
Priority Policy 3: City provides reliable, affordable, resilient energy service for all of SF.
Strategy 3.0: Increase grid stability to mitigate power outages from all hazard events.
Strategy 3.1: City to conduct a vulnerability and consequences study to ensure reliable and equitable energy service for all residents, especially EJ Communities.
Strategy 3.3 Implement strategies from energy VCA.
Strategy 3.4: Ensure an equitable drawdown of the gas network through robust subsidies and protections for equity communities
Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island Electric System Addressing Blackouts and System Reliability Update December 2021
Background
The Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA) owns the electric system infrastructure on Treasure and Yerba Buena
Islands. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) operates and maintains the power system for TIDA, and
also provides electricity to residents and businesses on both islands.
The U.S. Navy transferred the electric system on Treasure and Yerba Buena Islands to TIDA in 1997. The existing
infrastructure is old and has exceeded normal life expectancy. The age of the system and condition of the equipment make the island more vulnerable to power outages.
Power outages arise when something interrupts the distribution of electricity through the system. These "faults" can result from a variety of causes, including fallen tree limbs, birds or other wildlife, and malfunctioning equipment.
Improving System Reliability
Near-term improvements have been completed in the past several months to improve the the reliability of the electric system.
New Switchyard and Switchgear: Constructed a new switchyard and installed a new switchgear to isolate certain fault events and prevent an island-wide outage.
New Fault Indicators and Reclosers: Installed numerous fault indicators and reclosers throughout the island, which assist crews in determining the location of a fault and limiting outages to just a portion of the system.
New Overhead Line: Installed and constructed a new overhead line from the switchyard, increasing the reliability of the main line serving both islands.
New Transformers: Replaced five old distribution transformers with new ones equipped with bird guards to prevent avian-related outages. Bird guards will be a standard component on all new transformers.
Bird Guards: Installed bird guards along Avenue l.
Vegetation Management: Removed palm trees to prevent palm fronds from falling on overhead lines.
Residential Reliability: Connected the residential neighborhood to its own circuit to mitigate the impact of faults from other parts of the island.
Relay Settings Updated: Adjusted the relays at the Port of Oakland Substation to allow the circuits and reclosers to better isolate a fault before it results in a system-wide outage
Above Ground System-Wide Inspection: Completed inspection of the entire distribution system and identified components to be replaced.
More Electric System Improvements Are Needed
Replacement of Damaged Crossarms and Transformers: A contract has been signed with an electrical contractor to replace the damaged crossarms and transformers identified during the system-wide inspection.
Continuous Inspections: Perform continuous inspections to mitigate potential system failures, including regular
Security Fencing: Install security fencing to protect the underground cables from Treasure Island to Yerba Buena Island from vandalism.
Protective Device: Monitor the protective device response and performance to further mitigate system-wide outages.
Tree trimming or removal
Questions?
Contact:
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission at:
(415) 554-3233 or email Peter Gallotta at pgallotta@sfwater.org
Treasure Island Development Authority at:
(415) 274-0660 or email TIDA@SFgov.org
Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island Electric System Improvements Improvements Will Reduce Blackouts and Enhance System Reliability
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is the energy provider on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island. The Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA) owns the electric infrastructure, which the SFPUC uses to deliver power to residents and businesses on both islands.
Typically, electric infrastructure has a lifespan of 25-30 years. The infrastructure on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island, which TIDA inherited from the U.S. Navy, ranges from 40-50 years in age. The age of the system and condition of the equipment make the island vulnerable to power outages that a more modern system would not experience or which would be limited to a smaller area.
Power outages on the island arise when something interrupts the distribution of electricity through the system. These “faults” can arise from a variety of causes, including fallen tree limbs, birds or other wildlife, and malfunctioning equipment.
Several improvements have been made in the past 18 months to improve the system reliability and more are scheduled for the year ahead.
These near term infrastructure investments will enhance system reliability, decrease the number of blackouts, and reduce the duration and number of customers affected when there is a power outage.
TIDA and the SFPUC have been pursuing four avenues to improve system reliability – preventing faults that could lead to an outage, improving the ability of the system to minimize the impact of a fault, limiting any resulting outages
to only a portion of the island rather than the full island, and installing equipment that will help locate where a fault has occurred to speed system restoration.
In 2020 the SFPUC installed fault indicators and reclosers at many locations in the island distribution system. Fault indicators assist crews in determining where in the system a fault has occurred speeding power restoration while reclosers can both help the system to avoid service interruptions following certain minor faults and to limit outages to just a portion of the system when a fault occurs.
Also in 2020, Treasure Island Community Development (TICD), the master developer for Treasure Island, and the SFPUC began constructing a new switchyard and installing new switchgear to serve Treasure Island. This switchgear is scheduled to be energized in the last week of April. The former Navy switchgear is sensitive to system faults and does not effectively separate the existing system into geographically separate circuits. After additional work, the new switchgear will be capable of surviving certain faults that would cause the existing switchgear to fail resulting in an island-wide outage and will support the separation of the island geographically into separate circuits so that outages should be limited to the area served by an individual circuit rather than resulting in island-wide outages.
In addition to the projects initiated in 2020, TIDA and the SFPUC have identified additional priorities for improving system reliability in 2021. The table below describes the projects initiated and completed over the past year and additional improvements that are being planned and designed for implementation this year. TIDA and the SFPUC continue to evaluate additional opportunities for improving the resiliency and reliability of the electrical system on Treasure Island.
Outages in 2021
The work done in 2020 has had some success in limiting the geographic extent of outages. There have been three island-wide outages in 2021 – on April 6th, 11th & 16th – but there have been five other incidents where the extent of the outage was limited to just a portion of the island.
Questions?
Contact:
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission at:
(415) 554-3233 or email peter.gallotta@SFWater.org
Treasure Island Development Authority at:
(415) 274-0660 or email TIDA@SFgov.org
Portable Backup Batteries For Households
Update On Solutions To Power Outages.
Providing One Portable Back Up Battery(https://power.tenergy.com/tenergy-t320-portable-power-station-300wh-backup-lithium-battery/) to each household would cost in excess of $100,000.
Supplying them only to the Island’s affordable housing residents, would cost in excess of $50,000. No determination has been made yet of how much funding TIDA(https://sftreasureisland.org/contact) may be able to commit to such a program.
TIDA is weighing this potential expense against the cost of planned and proposed investments intended to limit the number and/or extent of outages. For example, TIDA already authorized the SFPUC to order several transformers to replace existing transformers in the residential neighborhood which should be delivered and installed by the end of June, and TIDA is working with the SFPUC and the developer on engineering solutions to further isolate the residential neighborhood from the rest of the island grid. Both of last week’s outages were related to issues south of 9th Street.
TIDA is striving to protect the residential area from system problems that are not directly within the limits of the residential area so that the residents will not lose power in events like those of the 6th and 11th. The second challenge that we are investigating is how logistically any purchase/distribution might be made. There are limitations on TIDA’s (or any public agency’s) ability to spend public funds to directly purchase items and give them away. TIDA is investigating options for how we might execute a program if/when we move forward.
We overall are seeing if partnership with One Treasure Island , TIDA will allow them to fund these back-up batteries for our community, If the government is unable to help then we will work with private partners to raise money donate these directly to households!
Test Mobile Solar Battery Trailer Provided By Footprintproject.org Is On Treasure Island
At the TIDA Board Meeting on November 18th, 2020, the board discussed and approved a solution to have a mobile trailer with backup batteries to support the community. A video link to the meeting is available at https://youtu.be/WHIaUuiRo40. The non-profit organization Footprint Project was quick to provide the trailer to aid our community. The next steps include working with TIDA to set up a permanent storage location on the island and signing a rental agreement. Additionally, Footprint Project has generously allowed us to use the trailer for free when it is not in use at other communities.
Back Up Battery Request Form, In Collaboration With People Power Solar Cooperative
If you are interested in sharing back up batteries right now in  collaboration with Crystal Huang People Power Solar Cooperative
More information here about this solution.
https://www.peoplepowersolar.org/
https://youtu.be/vjehIpaJgcA
Fill out this Google Form—-> https://www.tinyurl.com/batteryrequestTi ,
We will have to go through each request and make sure whomever comes through this understands our community agreement.
Join our Slack space! https://.join.slack.com/t/communityback-kdw2304/shared_invite/zt-it11j96u-HjQFe8d394NnLiCFrvKU7w Since the 3 batteries are currently with Matt J (2 batteries) and Crystal (1 battery), we should make sure Matt and Crystal are in the #babysitter channel. Anyone who needs battery should ping #babysitters on Slack. This will help us remove a centralized person as a gatekeeper, so we can all self-organize. Anyone who joins our Slack space should be verified people (anyone in this group can invite people, as long as you know them well to protect our community from trolls).
Text BATTERY to the number 510-275-1111 in the flyer shared in the email below.
Treasure Island Power Infrastructure Update !
Electric System Improvements Coming to Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island Improvements Will Reduce Blackouts and Enhance System Reliability Background: The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is the energy provider on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island.
The Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA) owns the electric infrastructure, which the SFPUC uses to deliver power to residents and businesses on both islands. Typically, electric infrastructure has a lifespan of 25-30 years.
The infrastructure on Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island, which TIDA inherited from the U.S. Navy, ranges from 40-50 years in age. Because the Treasure Island infrastructure is old, diagnostic and repair work takes longer than it would for a typical power outage. Power outages on the island stem from a variety of causes, including fallen tree limbs, birds or other wildlife, and malfunctioning equipment due to the age of the system. Improving System Reliability and Response:
Treasure Island Community Development (TICD) is the master developer for Treasure Island and coordinates with TIDA on its design and construction activities. Together, TICD and the SFPUC have begun making electric system changes on Treasure Island to improve electricity service for all customers. The major improvements include constructing a new switchyard and installing new switchgear.
These near term infrastructure investments will enhance system reliability, decrease the number of blackouts, and reduce the duration and number of customers affected when there is a power outage. TICD will oversee construction of the switchyard, a fenced-off area where the main electrical equipment will be located. Upon completion of the new switchyard, the SFPUC will install new switchgear, which is equipment that helps detect an outage, isolate the affected area, and provide safe and reliable operation of the electric system. Proactive Steps to Improve Existing System: In addition to new infrastructure, the SFPUC continues to take proactive steps to maintain, operate, and repair the electric system on
Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island. These actions will help reduce the number of outages as well as the length of outages:
● Proactively trimming tree branches and other vegetation
● Replacing poles and ordering spare parts in advance
● Conducting regular inspections of the distribution system
● Installing reclosers to improve system resiliency
● Installing fault indicators to speed up repair time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPyiar_H1WA - explains re-closer" equipment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S8gAMUNV_4 - explains "fault indicator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q-aVBv7PWM - explains substation and how this switch upgrade will also improve the grid.
Electric System Improvements and Timeline: Infrastructure upgrades and equipment replacement are underway, and Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island customers can expect electric system improvements to be completed by January 2021. Please see attached flyer for table with information on forthcoming improvement projects. Residents and businesses can expect minimal disruption during construction. No roads will be blocked or closed during construction. Questions? Contact: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission at: (415) 554-3233 or email peter.gallotta@SFWater.org